“Thank you Nicole for sending this one to sample! The only other Simpson & Vail I’ve tried is their Chocolate Brownie, but it’s a good one! This one is tough to describe but so so...”
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From Simpson & Vail

Located in South Asia, and bordered by China and India, Nepal is home to some of the largest mountains in the world, including Mount Everest which is the highest point anywhere on Earth. Although Nepal is comprised of 75 districts, tea gardens are mostly found in the eastern part of the country (dubbed the "Tea Zone), which borders the Darjeeling region of West Bengal, India, and enjoys the same soil and climatic conditions as Darjeeling. The five districts that make up the “Tea Zone” are Jhapa, Ilam, Panchthar, Tehrathum and Dhankuta. The Mist Valley Tea gardens are located in Jitpur in the Ilam district. Ilam is located in the Mechi Zone in the easternmost part of Nepal. Jitpur is a small hilly village with pristine landscapes of sloped tea gardens, thick natural forests, and a unique culture that is still relatively untouched by the modern world. Until quite recently, Jitpur was primarily a farming community however today tea is now grown in addition to rice and vegetables.

In Nepal, there are only a handful of tea producers that own and operate their own tea gardens and processing facilities, and Mist Valley Tea is one of those few. Located at an altitude of 1300 meters (approximately 4,200 feet) above the sea-level, this garden produces delightful and distinctive teas. This beautiful uniformly styled, long-leafed, tippy, black tea brews to a light amber cup with a slight vegetal aroma. The taste tends more towards a traditional Darjeeling with nutmeg overtones.

6 Tasting Notes

Got this one from Nicole. Her opinion was it is nice but I wouldn’t get it again. My opinion is WOW this is really great.

The wet leaf smell is like green beans and cooked broccoli, followed by fruity Darjeeling like notes. If that isn’t enough it ends with cocoa notes.

The sip is at first cocoa and malt followed by the fruity Darjeeling qualities. No bitterness. Just enough astringency to add a kiss of dryness.

I steeped it three times – it was so very good all three times. I like Darjeeling tea. I love Yunnan teas. This is kind of a marriage of both styles. It is medium bodied. It is not an in your face cup but not so subtle you have to concentrate to detect the flavors. I Love it!

Fun note – I steeped the first cup yesterday. As it was cooling, mom and dad called to say they were bored and wanted to play cards. So after a few sips I had to put the remainder of the tea in a travel mug. I ooh and ahhed my way through the cup. Then mom hands me a glass of iced decaf Lipton…. Uhmmm, I normally can drink it and enjoy it because it has always been part of all family stuff. This time it was really hard to drink and even harder not to complain. Silently I kept wishing I had picked up my press as I went out the door. It’s all good as it made today’s steeps even better.

Preparation

Thank you Nicole for sending this one to sample! The only other Simpson & Vail I’ve tried is their Chocolate Brownie, but it’s a good one! This one is tough to describe but so so so good. I steeped for 3-4 minutes. It’s malty but it doesn’t have that deeper flavor. It’s a medium bodied tea. Maybe a tiny hint of tobacco. And I swear I keep smelling cherry cough drops, and there is nothing in here like that, so it might be this tea. And maybe a bit like rose petals. So recap: malty, tobacco, cherry, rose petals. Such an odd combination but good! This tea is almost haunting… because the list of flavors is almost like lingers of things a ghost might leave behind. But my cat has not wanted to come in this room at ALL for a few days, so maybe it’s just the ghost. ;D